Benadryl And Alcohol
Benadryl and alcohol have similar effect on the body. In a recent test, drivers who took Benadryl were more impaired than drivers intoxicated by alcohol, although both did poorly.
The active ingredient in Benadryl, diphenhydramine, is a sedative, and is also the same ingredient in over-the-counter sleep aids like Sominex and Unisom.
Overdoses are common for two reasons:
People mistakenly feel they can disregard the dosage recommendation because the drug has a reputation for safety.
Acetaminophen is included in dozens of products. It’s used alone to treat back pain or headaches, for example. It’s also combined with other ingredients to ease insomnia, coughs and cold symptoms.
Many people unknowingly ingest large doses when they treat multiple health problems with several products, each of which contains acetaminophen.
The number of overdoses and the concern over acetaminophen is substantial enough to involve the Food and Drug Administration.
In June, the agency’s advisory committee proposed lowering the maximum single adult dose for over-the-counter products from 1,000 to 650 milligrams and the maximum daily dose to less than 4,000 milligrams.
The committee also recommended either eliminating prescription acetaminophen combination products that contain prescription acetaminophen or labeling them with a black-box warning about the risk of liver damage.
Several products under the Tylenol brand name contain acetaminophen.
Benadryl And Alcohol Combination
Benadryl is extremely sedating, possibly more sedating than alcohol, so it makes driving very dangerous. Combining it with alchol can lead to fatal outcome.
Just so you know, the active ingredient in Benadryl is the same ingredient in many over-the-counter sleep aids. So if you want to rest for the night, Benadryl is a good choice.
Claritin is often preferred because it generally doesn’t cause drowsiness and has fewer drug interactions.
Lighten your dietary load and cut out milk and other dairy products, because they make mucous.
Take dietary supplements and vitamins to stabilize your immune system so that it doesn’t overreact to pollen. Begin with a good multivitamin and then add anti-cancer flavonoids.
Quercetin is high on my list. You can drink green tea or eat apples, onions, berries, broccoli and cauliflower, all high in this powerful antioxidant.
Several other anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy supplements to consider are bromelain, which comes from pineapples, and hesperidin, which comes from oranges.
Some other common products with the ingredient are:
- Backaid Maximum Strength Back Relief
- Benadryl Severe Allergy Plus Headache Caplets
- Benadryl Allergy Plus Cold Kapgels
- Benadryl Allergy Plus Sinus Headache Kapgels
- Contac Cold & Flu Day & Night Dual Formula Pack Caplets
- DayQuil Cold & Flu Relief LiquiCaps
- Excedrin (all products)
- Midol Menstrual Complete and Midol Teen Formula
- NyQuil Cold & Flu Relief and NyQuil Sinus
- Pamprin Multi-Symptom and Pamprin Max
- Sudafed (assorted products)
- Theraflu Nighttime Severe Cold & Cough Packets
- Theraflu Daytime Severe Cold & Cough Packets
- Triaminic Multi-Symptom Fever
- Triaminic Cough & Sore Throat
To avoid overdosing, read the ingredients list of all products to see if they contain acetaminophen, stick to recommended doses and avoid acetaminophen if you have liver disease or drink alcohol heavily.
If you consistently take the drug, watch for signs of liver damage: dark urine, pale stool, right-upper stomach pain and a yellowish tinge in the whites of eyes.
